Riot police forces in Sudan have fired teargas canisters at hundreds of protesters in the capital, Khartoum, and Omdurman, Sudan’s second-largest city, as anti-government demonstrators are mounting pressure on President Omar al-Bashir to resign over deteriorating living conditions in the African country.

Protesters took to the streets in at least two districts of the capital and its twin city of Omdurman, across the Nile, on Monday, shouting “freedom, freedom,” but were soon confronted with dozens of riot police forces, who resorted to tear gas to break up the crowds and disrupt the rallies.

Nevertheless, witnesses said, the protesters kept rallying and shouting the “freedom, peace, justice” rallying cry of an anti-government campaign that erupted on December 17 last year over price hikes and shortages of food and fuel.

The rallies first erupted in the farming town of Atbara after cash-strapped Khartoum cut a vital subsidy on bread and tripled the price of one loaf of bread. The move angered people and triggered demonstrations, which swiftly mushroomed into nationwide protests.

That initial public display of anger soon spiraled into calls for Bashir — who took power in 1989 through a military coup — to step down.

The Monday rallies, as those held previously, were called and organized by the Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA), an umbrella group of unions representing doctors, teachers, and engineers.

The country’s National Intelligence and Security Service (NISS) have reportedly been carrying out a crackdown on protesters, opposition leaders, activists, and reporters in an attempt to prevent the spread of the rallies, which are viewed as the biggest threat to Bashir’s 30-year rule.

Official figures say 30 people, including some security agents, have lost their lives since the onset of the rallies. Some rights groups say at least 51 people have so far died.

The president has so far remained defiant, addressing loyalists at a number of rallies across the country and seeking support from regional allies.

On Sunday, Bashir attended three pro-government demonstrations in the state of North Kordofan, where he pledged to boost rural growth by carrying out some new infrastructure projects.

Bashir is wanted by the Hague-based International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide related to the war in Darfur. He strongly rejects the charges.

The president and other senior Sudanese officials have time and again said that the government can only be changed through elections. The 75-year-old veteran leader is considering running for a third presidential term in next year elections.

Sudan has been struggling with a worsening economic crisis, including a serious shortage of foreign currency. The cost of some commodities, including medicines, has more than doubled and inflation has hit 70 percent. A growing lack of food and fuel has also been regularly reported across several cities, including Khartoum.